Whilst every family is different, there are several common issues faced by working parents. Here are some of the top problems that crop up time and time again for working parents, and we look at why they are such big issues for us all and how to tackle them.
Flexibility
There are limited roles that fit around school hours, and those that do don’t tend to pay particularly well. The popularity recently for zero-hour contracts and shift working with days and hours changing weekly can make it hard to find a …

Emma gave birth after a long and exhausting labour. But the worst was yet to come: only part of the placenta was delivered, and Emma became aware of the room filling up with people and the mood changing. Although she was told that all was fine, she knew something was wrong.
A consultant walked in and, without acknowledging Emma, attempted a manual removal of the placenta, which Emma describes as “the most painful thing I’ve experienced to this day. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the shock of it”.
Blood started …

If your child is starting school for the first time, an eye test can help pick up any problems before they miss out in the class room. And for every other school child who has grown over the summer, remember that eyes change and grow too! Every child is entitled to a free NHS eye test. Have a look at this infographic to find out more.

This information is provided by ABDO, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. Find out more about eyes at eyecareFAQ on Twitter, Facebook and G+. There are all sorts of …

I just got an exciting package through the post last week: it’s the advance copies for my new books which come out at the end of the month. Find out more about each book here if you’re feeling impatient – it looks like Amazon has the first one in stock already.
The Journey Through Assessment: Help for Parents with a Special Needs Child
Food and Your Special Needs Child

As announced in April’s Budget statement, the Government proposes to introduce a new childcare voucher system from 2015. Yet research* from Jelf Employee Benefits found that over a third (36%) of employers who currently offer a childcare voucher scheme are considering scrapping their existing scheme long before the replacement system is finalised or available. We’ve been using childcare vouchers since K started nursery and they must have saved us hundreds of pounds. Jelf is concerned that such a decision by employers may, in extreme circumstances, force some employees to re-evaluate whether …

What can I do mum? Mum, I’m bored?
If that sounds like your house this week, set the kids to work! The older your children get, the more able they are to help spread the load over the holidays. Ask your child to help make lunch and you may get more moans. Show them a recipe and say, “Do you want to try making this?” and you may find that lunch is made for you!
We were asked to review a recipe for Great British Chefs and chose the Pizza Hearts recipe. …

Have you thought about retraining since you’ve had children? Many mums consider a career in childcare for several reasons. You may be more interested in children since you had your own, and / or keen to find a career that fits in with school hours. Read on to find out more.
If you have thought about a career in childcare, you may want to check out your local Early Years unit, part of your local authority. They may offer courses to help you get started as a childminder, at little or …

Are you confused by what the budge means for you? One of the big bits of news if that the Government will be contributing 20% of childcare costs for working families.
And in a bid to make it easy to understand, HM Treasury have created a childcare_infographic so you can see the whole thing in pictures – there’s part of it shown here, but follow the link for the whole thing as it is long!
Key points:

nothing will change until Autumn 2015.
the rebate is per child, so one child families get up to £1200, two child …

… And how many children do you think a nursery worker can care for?
The Government has proposed to increase the ratios in day care so a nursery worker can look after up to 4 under twos – currently the limit is 3 – and up to 6 two year olds, rather than the current limit of four.
Personally, I’m not sure it is a great idea. Children benefit from developing relationships with their carers. When I settled D for the first time in nursery around 10 years ago, it was important …

For many mums, the main reason for starting a business is to be able to spend more time with their families. But it’s very hard to run a business as mum to under-fives with no childcare at all. Fortunately, if you run a flexible business you can be more flexible with your childcare choices than most employees. Here are some helpful suggestions:

You can choose to do a proportion of your work in the evening when the children are in bed, or some during the day if they nap. This cuts …